Includes Grey-headed Parrot
Photo © by Martin Hobbs
Punda Maria, Kruger National Park, South Africa, January 18, 2010
- Poicephalus fuscicollis
Identification
Length 30-36 cm; mass 260-400 g. A large parrot with a massive, pale bill.
Grey to greyish-brown head (female has reddish-orange band on forehead). Mantle and upper wing coverts greyish-green with paler green edges. Orange-red wrists and leggings. Back, rump, upper tail coverts, and underparts blue-green.
Distribution
Africa: Senegal to Nigeria; Angola, DRC, Burundi, Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and South Africa.
Taxonomy
Cape Parrot was split from this species.
Subspecies
Two subspecies are recognized[1]:
- P. f. fuscicollis
- P. f. suahelicus (Grey-headed Parrot)
- Angola, south-eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, western and southern Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and north-eastern South Africa
Some authorities suggest that each of these subspecies might be a separate species.
Habitat
Forest, woodland and for the nominate subspecies, savanna and mangroves. In the south essentially using lowland, in the north goes to significantly higher elevation.
Behaviour
Seems to be partly nomadic in some regions
Food
A variety of plant sources including especially seeds, nuts, and berries but in some areas also bark or nectar.
Breeding
Uses cavities in greed for nest chamber.
References
- Clements, J. F., P. C. Rasmussen, T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, A. Spencer, S. M. Billerman, B. L. Sullivan, M. Smith, and C. L. Wood. 2024. The eBird/Clements checklist of Birds of the World: v2024. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Gill F, D Donsker & P Rasmussen (Eds). 2021. IOC World Bird List (v11.1). doi : 10.14344/IOC.ML.11.1. http://www.worldbirdnames.org/
- Hockey PAR, Dean WRJ & Ryan PG (eds) 2005. Robert's Birds of Southern Africa, 7th edition. John Voelcker Bird Book Fund, Cape Town, South Africa. ISBN 0620340533
- Sinclair I & Ryan P. 2003. Birds of Africa south of the Sahara. Princeton University Press. ISBN 0620207299
- Kirwan, G. M. (2020). Brown-necked Parrot (Poicephalus fuscicollis), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (P. G. Rodewald, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.brnpar1.01
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Brown-necked Parrot. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 14 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Brown-necked_Parrot
